Saint John fire crews battle blaze at abandoned church

Fire crews in Saint John spent Friday morning battling a blaze at an abandoned church.

They were called to the former Torch of Truth Tabernacle Church on Church Avenue West around 4:30 a.m. Friday.

Firefighters managed to extinguish the flames but the church was badly damaged in the fire and crews are concerned it may collapse.

The church was abandoned four years ago.

“We’ve got the investigators here and I know the police force are bringing the major crime down,” says Saint John Fire Chief Kevin Clifford. “We don’t know right now, the building was energized so, and it was in good shape. This building was not an eyesore and it actually looked like a nice building from the outside, so this was well taken care of.”

No one was injured in the fire and there is no word on a cause at this time, although investigators have been called to the scene.

Residents along Church Avenue West lost power for several hours this morning.